


Parallel

by Fangirl_fanatic



Series: The ways I show you that I love you [5]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, anyway this is a mess, but not really?, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26344747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirl_fanatic/pseuds/Fangirl_fanatic
Summary: "Was that enough kisses for you?" Christen asks softly and Tobin grins."Well," Tobin drawls, eyes flicking down to Christen's lips, "I wouldn't complain if you kissed me again.""Of course you wouldn't." Christen sighs and rolls her eyes, fighting to keep the smile off of her face as she leans in again.Or50 kisses
Relationships: Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Series: The ways I show you that I love you [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763359
Comments: 31
Kudos: 226





	Parallel

**Author's Note:**

> The ending? Sketchy. My writing? Even sketchier. This took a lot longer than expected to get out and I blame that on the fact that my job/online classes suck (meaning the bags under my eyes have never looked darker). Also, I’m not gonna lie, I don’t know how many more ways I can write the first kiss scene before I just give up and copy and paste it for each part lol. Anyways, enjoy!

[1]  
The first time they kiss, Tobin thinks she's ruined everything. She can't tell if her heart is going a mile a minute or if it's stopped beating altogether. All she can feel is the way Christen freezes as soon as she leans in. Tobin pulls away almost immediately, already preparing a million different apologies before their lips can even disconnect. Christen tugs her right back in, though, and Tobin almost laughs in relief when Christen tangles one hand into her hair and — finally — kisses her.

(Tobin thinks she could do this for hours if only to hear the small, disappointed sighs Christen lets out every time they pull apart.)

[2]  
Christen kisses Tobin the next morning after they wake up cuddled around each other and Tobin almost pinches herself to make sure she's not dreaming. Being here with Christen laying half on top of her, practically glowing as the sun starts rising, seems too good to be true. 

"You're so beautiful," Tobin breathes out, twirling a strand of Christen's hair around her finger distractedly. 

"Mmm," Christen hums, kissing Tobin slowly before pulling away with a small smile, "I could say the same thing about you."

[3]  
Christen kisses Tobin after they brush their teeth the same morning, pulling away with a shy smile on her face and staring at her nervously. "Was that okay?"

"More than okay," Tobin says, leaning in a little closer towards Christen as she licks her lips. "I could definitely get used to this every morning."

"Is that so?" Christen hums, wrapping her arms even tighter around Tobin's waist and kissing her again slowly. "Because I could too."

After a few seconds, Tobin pulls away with flushed cheeks. "Okay," she murmurs slowly, "we need to leave before we get carried away."

"Wouldn't want to be late and miss out on the stale coffee." Christen winks — albeit poorly — and succeeds in breaking the tension when Tobin laughs. 

(The coffee is, in fact, stale and more like glorified sludge than actual coffee but at least they weren't late, right?)

[4]  
"Hey," Christen says under her breath, tugging Tobin on the wrist and behind a corner in the airport in an attempt to get some privacy. 

"Chris—"

"Can I kiss you?" Christen blurts out, looking over her shoulder to make sure nobody is behind them. 

"What? Um, I mean, yeah," Tobin stumbles over her words, starting to blush profusely, "of course you can."

"Okay," Christen breathes out, hand already coming up to cup one of Tobin's cheeks gently. She glances behind her one last time, still nobody in sight, and then doesn't hesitate before leaning in. It's quick, both of them understandably skittish about kissing this publicly, but it also reaffirms to Tobin how much she's going to miss Christen while they're away with their club teams. 

"This sucks," Tobin blurts out as soon as they pull apart, putting a good amount of distance between them, and Christen frowns. 

"I know." Christen sighs and runs a hand through her hair, glancing behind her again as if she's scared somebody's going to be standing there eavesdropping. "I'm going to miss you."

Tobin tries to ignore the tears stinging her eyes, she really does, but it's kind of hard when Christen's eyes are also shining from unshed tears. "Me too," Tobin says, ducking her head when she feels a tear roll down her cheek and wiping it away as quickly as possible. 

"We should probably get going before somebody comes looking for us." Christen sighs and rubs at her eyes, leaning in to quickly hug Tobin one last time. "Text me when you land?"

"I will." Tobin forces a smile. "I'll see you next month, okay?"

(Neither of them are truly prepared for how long a month can feel when they're counting down the days until they can see each other again.)

[5]  
As soon as she hears the knock on her door, Tobin is scrambling off of her bed like a madwoman. Nearly tripping over her own feet in the process and ignoring the raised eyebrows Ash is directing her way, she flings open the hotel room door in record time. Tobin barely even looks to check who it is before barreling straight into her. "I missed you."

"Oomph." Christen stumbles back slightly at the force of Tobin's hug and then spins them in a half-circle in an attempt to keep their balance, Tobin ending up halfway out the door instead of Christen who now has her back to the rest of the room. Still, she doesn't hesitate before wrapping her arms around Tobin and holding on just as tightly. "I missed you too." Tobin buries her nose into the crook of Christen's neck, one hand gripping the front of her sweater as they sway side to side. 

They stay like that for at least a minute before Tobin pulls back a little, a blush starting to creep it's way up her neck. "Is it okay if I kiss you?" She mumbles so that only Christen can hear her, eyes glancing over to Ash — who's innocently scrolling through her phone like she's not watching them out of the corner of her eye — before shyly meeting Christen's eyes again. 

Christen doesn't even hesitate before nodding, grinning to ease Tobin's worries. "You're the one that has to answer her questions, though."

"Worth it," Tobin whispers, sparing one last glance over at Ash before kissing her. 

They don't even make it a second before Ash loudly interrupts. "Bitch, what the fuck?"

(After they tell Ash, it takes less than an hour until the rest of the team knows.)

[6]  
"I had a really good time tonight," Tobin says quietly as they stop outside of Christen's hotel room door, very aware of the fact that it's late and their teammates are nosy. 

"So did I." Christen glances down at her feet before looking up at Tobin, laughing softly. "This feels so cliché."

"Are you hinting that you don't want me to kiss you on the first date?" Tobin grins as Christen hits her on the arm lightly, rolling her eyes and laughing louder this time. 

"No, that's a cliché I'm all for." Christen sighs happily and her eyes flick down to Tobin's lips briefly. "Besides, this isn't our first kiss so it's not entirely as bad as some cheesy rom-com." 

"Of course, why didn't I think of that?"

"Smartass." Christen laughs again and steps even further into Tobin's space. "So are you going to kiss me or not?"

Tobin's actions answer for themselves as she cups Christen's cheek with one hand and rests the other on her hip before leaning in and capturing her lips softly. It's an innocent kiss — neither of them is looking to give any random stranger walking by a show — and they keep it short but sweet. When they pull apart after only a couple of seconds, Tobin moves the hand on Christen's cheek down to her waist and grins. "So does this mean I can take you on a second date?"

"Actually," Christen drawls and Tobin's heart drops for a second before she continues, "I think it's my turn to take you on a date."

"I could get behind that," Tobin says and pecks Christen on the lips one last time before taking a step back. She's really not in the mood to get caught in a compromising position by a teammate (or worse, Jill).

"Perfect," Christen says simply, a pleased smile on her face as she swipes her keycard through the door and awkwardly waves at Tobin as she opens it a crack. "Good night, Tobs."

"'Night, Chris."

Christen tries to ignore the look Megan is giving her as she walks into the room and closes the door behind her, but the knowing smirk on her face is a little hard to miss. (It's also hard to ignore the fact that some of their friends were definitely spying on them through their peepholes but Christen doesn't know what else she expected from a group of bored women looking for gossip.)

[7]  
"I'm gonna head up to the room," Christen announces to their lunch table, mostly to Tobin, as she gets up out of her chair. 

"Okay see you up there," Tobin says, tilting her head back to accept a quick peck on the lips from Christen. 

"Gross," Sonnett immediately blurts out, nose scrunched up like a toddler and Christen laughs, walking away without responding. Lindsey, on the other hand, high-fives Sonnett with a boyish grin. 

"Yeah, gross," Lindsey says. Tobin flips her off (and is relieved when neither of them points out the way she's blushing).

[8]  
"Ooh, is that coffee?" Christen smirks playfully as she comes up to Tobin in the hotel lobby and plucks the cardboard cup directly out of her hands, taking a long sip before Tobin can even react. 

"Hey!" Tobin makes a grabbing motion at her but Christen just holds the cup closer to her chest, practically guarding it with her life. "Give it back."

"No," Christen says and then takes another sip of the drink, much to the amusement of their teammates watching. 

"Babe," Tobin whines, pouting like a dork even though they're in public, "please?"

Christen sighs at Tobin's puppy dog eyes and relents, handing the cup back over with exaggerated disappointment. "Fine, here you go."

"It's half empty," Tobin gawks as she feels the weight of the cup and Christen laughs. 

"Oops," Christen says innocently, batting her eyelashes and kissing Tobin on the cheek, "my bad." Christen walks away before she can get in another word and Tobin glares at Sonnett as she snickers from a couple of feet away.

(Christen buys her another one that afternoon to make up for it.)

[9]  
"What? No kiss before you leave?" Tobin catches Christen by the hand before she can reach the hotel room door, tugging on it lightly to make sure she has her attention. 

"I'm just going down the hall to grab the water bottle I left in Pinoe's room," Christen says, raising her eyebrows in amusement when Tobin doesn't let go of her hand. 

"I still want a kiss." Tobin bites the inside of her cheek. "If that's okay?"

"Of course it's okay," Christen says, huffing out a laugh as she takes a step closer to Tobin and places a soft hand on her cheek. She kisses her slowly, taking her time as she tangles her other hand in Tobin's hair. They pull away from each other slightly out of breath and Christen smirks. "Can I go get my water bottle now?"

[10]  
"You can pick the movie," Tobin says, offering the remote to Christen, "I'm probably just going to fall asleep midway through."

Christen laughs and happily takes the remote. "Just don't snore too loudly."

"I'll make sure to snore directly into your ear," Tobin says, grinning as she leans her head down onto Christen's shoulder. Christen playfully shoves at her like she's trying to get Tobin off of her but she doesn't put any real effort behind it, instead leaning her head on top of hers. 

"You're lucky I love you." Tobin smiles but doesn't respond, already closing her eyes before Christen even chooses a movie. Her breathing evens out within ten minutes and Christen can't help but place a kiss to the top of her head. 

(Tobin only barely snores throughout the movie but Christen still teases her about it for the next week.)

[11]  
"Is it too late to back out?" Tobin asks, wringing her hands as they slowly walk up to the restaurant. 

"It's way too late for that now." Christen laughs and reaches over to hold on to one of Tobin's hands. "It's just my family. Besides, you've already met them all before."

Tobin bites the inside of her cheek and stops walking, tugging Christen towards her with a slight pull of her hand. "But we weren't dating then."

"It's not going to matter, Tobs, okay?" Christen sighs softly, rubbing her thumb across Tobin's knuckles. "They'll be fine with it."

"I feel like I'm coming out all over again," Tobin mutters, not being able to hold back a grin when Christen laughs. 

"It's not going to be nearly as bad, I promise."

Tobin nods, glancing at the entrance to the restaurant nervously. "Can I have a kiss before we go in?"

"Of course." Christen smiles softly at that way Tobin's blushing, glancing around quickly before giving her a sweet but short peck on the lips. "Now let's go in before my family thinks we stood them up." 

(The dinner isn't nearly as painful as Tobin thought it would be and Christen tries not to be smug about it.)

[12]  
"Hey Tobs?" Christen asks into the dark a few minutes after they'd decided to go to sleep, squirming around in Tobin's arms. 

"Yeah, babe?" She responds, voice slightly scratchy as she blinks her eyes open blearily. 

"I really like cuddling with you and everything, it's just, uh," Christen pauses, still squirming as she brushes the hair out of her face, "could we, maybe, change positions? Because my shoulder kinda hurts and—"

"Shit, Chris, yeah. Here, let me just..." Tobin trails off as she flips onto her back, tapping Christen's arm gently so she'll flip over onto her stomach. Christen sighs in relief as soon as her shoulder is freed, the aching already starting to dull as she flings her other arm over Tobin's abdomen and brings one leg up over hers. "Is that better?"

"Much, thank you," Christen says softly, resting her head on Tobin's chest and settling down. She lifts her head up to kiss Tobin on the jaw appreciatively before laying it back down, pressing her ear against her sternum and falling asleep to the quiet thud of Tobin's heartbeat.

[13]  
"You see this bruise," Tobin asks while they're stretching after practice, pointing at a huge purple and blue spot on her thigh, "it's from when you kicked me in your sleep a couple of nights ago."

Christen barks out a surprised laugh, glancing down at the bruise again with a shake of her head. "Cons of dating a soccer player I guess."

"If that were true," Tobin says, "you'd be bruised too." She pouts and Christen smiles, leaning over to her kiss her on the cheek quickly. 

"Sorry babe. It won't happen again," Christen promises and Tobin just rolls her eyes, not believing her in the slightest. 

(It happens again.)

[14]  
"How do I look?" Christen asks, twirling around so that her dress flares out for Tobin to see. 

"Hmmm," Tobin hums in exaggerated contemplativeness, grabbing onto Christen's hands as she looks her up and down, "perfect, just like always."

The pretty blush that ghosts across Christen's cheeks is enough for Tobin to lean up and place a loving kiss to her cheekbone as Christen glances down shyly. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course." Tobin furrows her eyebrows, squeezing Christen's hands reassuringly and swiping her thumbs across her knuckles. "You're the most stunning person I've ever seen."

Christen laughs like she doesn't quite believe her, dropping Tobin's hands to shove her on the chest lightly. "Such a charmer," she says lowly but Tobin just shakes her head insistently. 

"I'm serious." Not even a hint of a smile shows up on Tobin's face as she stares at Christen. "You're beautiful."

"Well, thank you," Christen says, her voice small but happy all the same. Tobin grins, pressing another quick kiss to her cheek. 

"Anytime," she says, reaching for one of Christen's hands and tugging on it lightly, "now let's head down before the girls send out a search party."

[15]  
"You doing okay?" Christen asks softly, keeping her eyes on the movie they're watching instead of Tobin so that she doesn't become flustered. 

Tobin hesitates before responding, keeping her eyes on the tv as she blushes. "Yeah, I'm good." She bites the inside of her cheek before finally glancing over at Christen. "It's just been a long week."

"You know it's okay to need a break, right?" Christen meets her eyes, wanting her to know she's serious, and she reaches for Tobin's hand. 

"I know." Tobin grins lopsidedly, flipping her hand over to interlace their fingers. "Thanks for taking a break with me."

"Anytime," Christen says. She brings Tobin's hand up and kisses the back of it softly, grinning when she sees the rest of the tension in Tobin's shoulders dissipate. 

[16]  
"Hey babe," Christen says, a small smile on her face as she closes the hotel door behind her. 

"Hey." Tobin glances up from the magazine she's reading, setting it down to give her full attention to Christen. "Did you have fun with Ali and Pinoe?"

"Yeah, we went shopping." Christen's shoulders sag a little, clearly exhausted, and Tobin finally notices the several bags in her hand. 

"Of course you did," Tobin says dryly, and Christen rolls her eyes as she sets the bags down by their suitcases, not even bothering to organize them before crawling onto the bed.

"I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life," she groans as she kicks off her shoes and Tobin laughs, tossing her magazine down onto the floor.

"Take a nap with me, then?" Tobin asks, rolling onto her side and stretching her arms out towards Christen. 

"Why do you need a nap?" Christen asks as she tucks herself against Tobin's chest, yawning tiredly as the day catches up to her. "There's no way you're tired from laying around all day."

"I'm always tired," Tobin mumbles like she's already halfway asleep, and drops a quick kiss to Christen's forehead. "Besides, I'll never pass up the opportunity for some quality time with you."

"Smooth," Christen says and Tobin laughs softly, arms tightening around her waist. 

They're both asleep within ten minutes.

[17]  
"Did you use my conditioner?" Christen asks when Tobin crawls into bed with her, lightly tugging on her still-wet strands of hair curiously. Tobin blushes like she's been caught doing something she's not supposed to and nods. 

"I didn't realize mine was empty so I used yours," Tobin mumbles, raising her eyes to look at Christen, "was that not okay?"

"I was only asking because it smells nice on you," Christen says softly, running her fingers through Tobin's hair and quickly kissing her temple. 

"Oh." She still looks a little unsure so Christen smiles teasingly, twirling a strand of Tobin's hair around her finger. 

"What's mine is yours." Christen knocks her knee against Tobin's and smiles crookedly, "It's meant for curly hair, though, so don't be surprised if you end up with a head full of curls in the morning."

Tobin laughs and shoves Christen's arm even as she nestles closer to her chest. "I really doubt that's going to happen."

"Hmmm, you're probably right." Christen wraps her arms around Tobin's shoulders and pulls her closer, kissing her again — this time on the top of her head. "Feel free you use my stuff anytime because it makes you smell good."

"I can't tell if you're implying that I don't usually smell good or not," Tobin mumbles but she's clearly not serious, her eyelids already fluttering closed and a small smile creeping onto her face. 

(Christen has to resist the urge to kiss her before she falls asleep, instead just wrapping her arms tighter around Tobin.)

[18]  
"Can you come with me to the book store nearby?" Christen asks, tugging on Tobin's arm to get her attention as they both flit around the hotel room trying to pack up the last of their things. "I need to get a new book for the plane ride tomorrow."

Tobin nods easily and shrugs when Christen's face immediately lights up. "I should probably get something to read anyways."

Christen pauses, looks at Tobin like she's joking, and then deadpans, "Babe, we both know you'll be asleep within ten minutes of the plane taking off."

"That's not true," Tobin says, just barely sticking out her lower lip and Christen can't help but laugh, kissing her pout away easily. 

"Yes it is, and you know it," she says and grins when Tobin can't do anything but shrug helplessly. "Besides, I think it's cute when you drool on my shoulder."

"I don't drool!"

(They spend the next ten minutes playfully bickering about whether Tobin drools in her sleep or not before Christen concedes that she was just messing with her.)

[19]  
"Oh, hey, you're bleeding." Christen touches the inside of Tobin's wrist just in case she didn't think she was talking to her, leaning in to be heard over the cacophony of noise filling the locker room. "Your shin."

Tobin glances down, surprised to find that she is, in fact, bleeding, and the looks up to Christen with a shrug. "Huh. Thanks for telling me," she says in a slow, couldn't-care-less drawl and Christen resists the urge to sigh. 

"You're cleaning that once we get back to the hotel," she says, clearly unimpressed as she raises her eyebrows, and Tobin laughs. 

"You worry too much." She bumps her hip lightly against Christen's and then throws an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer. 

Christen crinkles her nose — they both just played a long game and she'd definitely prefer they showered before Tobin gets affectionate — but she doesn't say anything. "You don't worry enough." She lays her head on Tobin's shoulder, watching as their teammates wreak absolute havoc in the locker room to celebrate their win. "I'm going to have no sympathy for you if it gets infected."

"It's not going to get infected." Tobin laughs and rolls her eyes playfully, kissing Christen on the top of the head as if to appease her. "I'll take care of it when we get back, promise."

[20]  
Christen's sitting on the edge of the hotel bed, watching as Tobin haphazardly packs up the rest of her things for her early flight the next day. "You promise you'll wake me up in the morning?" Christen asks softly, seemingly out of nowhere, anxiously twisting one of the rings on her finger. 

Tobin turns around, confused, and takes one look at Christen before sitting down on the open space beside her. "I'm not going to leave without saying goodbye," Tobin says slowly, reaching out to hold onto Christen's fidgeting hands, "I promise."

"Okay," Christen nods almost like she's trying to convince herself to believe Tobin. 

"Chris, why wouldn't I wake you up?" Tobin's eyebrows are furrowed as she shifts closer to her, taking one of Christen's hands in her own and bringing it up to her lips to kiss the back of it softly. 

"I don't know." She avoids eye contact even as she grips Tobin's hand like a lifeline. "I don't want you to forget."

Tobin hesitates for a second, eyeing Christen up and down like she's a puzzle to be figured out. "I'm not going to forget you."

Christen sighs, almost like she's relieved, and nods. "Okay," she finally looks up to meet Tobin's eyes, "I trust you."

[21]  
"Look!" Christen says excitedly as soon as she walks into the hotel room. "I bought a succulent. Isn't it so cute?" Christen asks, batting her eyelashes in a way that lets Tobin know she knows exactly what she's doing. 

Resisting the urge to point out the number of plants they already have at home, she rolls her eyes and smiles. "And how do plan on getting that on the plane?"

"You can have plants in your carry-on," Christen says, hurrying over to show Tobin the plant. 

Tobin looks at it, looks at Christen, looks at it, and then looks back at Christen. "There's no way they'll let you bring that on the plane."

"Sonnett said she's done it before," she shrugs, looking down at her succulent happily. 

"Sonnett's an idiot," Tobin deadpans and Christen rolls her eyes. 

"Be nice," she scolds gently, setting the pot down on the nightstand — Tobin resists the urge to sigh when she gets dirt on the phonebook. "Don't be so grumpy."

Tobin can't help but laugh when Christen peppers several kisses on her cheek, shoving her off gently as she squirms away from the tickling sensation. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she says, still laughing, "just don't come crying to me if they won't let you bring it on."

(They get through TSA just fine with the plant in Christen's bag and Tobin ignores the smug look she sends her.)

[22]  
"Babe," Christen heaves out a sigh as Tobin starts trailing light kisses down her neck, "we can't be late."

"Nobody's going to notice," Tobin says, breathing the words directly against Christen's skin as she drops a kiss onto her collarbone. 

"Ash is going to notice," Christen says, breath stuttering at every kiss Tobin places onto her skin, "which means everybody is going to notice when she points it out."

Tobin sighs, straightening up to kiss Christen on the lips one last time before she pulls away entirely. "This entire team is full of cockblockers."

"Yeah, but we love them anyway." Christen shoves Tobin on the shoulder playfully as she pretends like she’s mulling the statement over. 

"I'm starting to hate them all a little bit." Tobin runs a hand through her hair with a smirk. "They're ruining all of my plans."

"Technically, we agreed to these plans first before you got your own ideas," Christen says and pats Tobin on the arm in consolation. "Now let's go before all the good snacks are gone."

"What good snacks?" Tobin mutters under her breath, also mumbling something about Dawn that Christen doesn't quite catch but laughs at anyway. Christen drags her out the door before they can get distracted again. 

[23]  
"Proud of you," Christen whispers on the bus back to the hotel, pressing her lips to the top of Tobin's head softly from where it's resting on her shoulder. 

"What for?" Tobin laughs, not self-deprecatingly just confused. "I barely played."

"I'm always proud of you." Christen shrugs, Tobin's head moving along with the gesture. 

"Thank you," Tobin mumbles shyly, turning her head into Christen's shoulder so that she can't see her blushing. 

(Christen sees it anyway and smiles, slowly running her fingers through Tobin's hair without saying anything.)

[24]  
"I call the first shower," Christen says as soon as she keys her way into the hotel room, Tobin hot on her heels. 

Tobin immediately groans in disappointment but then her face lights up in a way that Christen has come to recognize with trouble, an impish grin on her face. "Why don't we just shower together so we both get the first shower?" Tobin wiggles her eyebrows suggestively but Christen just rolls her eyes and starts digging through her bag for a change of clothes. 

"Yeah, right. No thanks." When Tobin crosses her arms and pouts, Christen sighs even though she gives her a quick, amused kiss on the cheek once she's done pulling clothes out of her suitcase. "The showers in this hotel are small and I'm claustrophobic." 

"Yeah, but—"

"And I also don't want to have to explain to Coach how one of us slipped in the shower and cracked our head open," Christen adds, collecting the rest of her things and starting to head towards the bathroom. 

Tobin huffs but drops her arms back to her side and grins crookedly. "Fine. But you can't get mad when the bed smells like sweat because you made me wait to shower."

"I can and I will." Christen stops right outside the bathroom and turns to look to Tobin with a raised eyebrow. "If you lay on that bed smelling the way you do right now, I'm sleeping in the other bed without you."

"Rude," Tobin mumbles but drops down onto the window seat without another complaint. 

[25]  
"Kiss?" Tobin asks hopefully, her and Christen shoulder to shoulder as they watch a movie with their backs pressed against the headboard of the hotel bed. Complying with the request silently, Christen presses a soft kiss to Tobin's lips before only pulling away by an inch. 

"Your eyelashes are so long," Christen mumbles into the small space between them, her arms moving up to rest on Tobin's shoulders.

"Thank you," Tobin says, clearly distracted as Christen starts to lean in again. She closes her eyes in anticipation and is surprised when she feels Christen's lips press softly onto one of her eyelids and then the other instead of her lips. Shivering with goosebumps trailing down her arms, Tobin hums happily and opens her eyes when Christen pulls away. 

"Was that enough kisses for you?" Christen asks softly and Tobin grins. 

"Well," Tobin drawls, eyes flicking down to Christen's lips, "I wouldn't complain if you kissed me again."

"Of course you wouldn't." Christen sighs and rolls her eyes, fighting to keep the smile off of her face as she leans in again. 

(Despite her playful annoyance, Christen thinks she would kiss Tobin a hundred more times if she asked.)

[26]  
Tobin shifts her position on the bed for what feels like the hundredth time, her arms wrapped around Christen's waist as she spoons her from behind. She huffs, shimmying around to find a comfortable spot. 

"Stop moving, you shouldn't even be awake right now" Christen rasps into the dark with a long-suffering sigh, surprising Tobin who had assumed she was asleep. "Go to bed."

"But I'm not tired," Tobin whispers, whining like a five-year-old as Christen flops over onto her side to face her. 

"Tobs, we have to be up early tomorrow. You've got to go to sleep."

"I don't want to," Tobin says petulantly, almost crossing her arms across her chest but stopping herself before she starts acting like a complete child.

"Okay," Christen sighs tiredly, sitting up and nearly blinding Tobin as she flicks on the bedside lamp, "what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Tobin shields her eyes and squints against the harsh light. She sits up after a moment, her eyes slowly adjusting. 

"There's something wrong." Christen takes one of Tobin's hands and kisses the back of it gently — so gently Tobin almost cries. "What's going through your head right now?"

Tobin sighs, staring down at her lap as Christen squeezes her hand tightly. "It's stupid."

"It's not stupid," Christen insists, reaching over to tap her index finger under Tobin's chin gently. Taking the hint, Tobin looks up and meets her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek nervously instead of responding. "Talk to me, babe."

"I don't want you to leave," Tobin blurts before she can overthink it and then immediately ducks her head, eyes trained down at her lap again. 

Christen sighs, shifting closer to Tobin and resting a hand on her knee to draw back her attention. "I don't want to leave either." Christen frowns when Tobin doesn't look up to meet her eyes. "But we'll be back together soon."

Tobin sighs, grimacing as she nods slowly. "I know."

"And there's no point in being tired tomorrow when you're already going to be sad," Christen adds gently, "so we need to get some sleep."

"Yeah, okay," Tobin agrees and Christen kisses her on the cheek in consolation before she turns off the lights. 

"I love you," Christen says as they settle back down, burrowing herself into Tobin's chest as she wraps her arms around her. 

Tobin places a kiss to the top of her head, squeezing her arms even tighter around Christen. "I love you too."

[27]  
"You look really good in this jersey," Christen says, tugging on Tobin's sleeve to emphasize her point. Tobin blushes almost immediately, glancing around the locker room before kissing Christen quickly. 

"Thank you," she mumbles, resisting the urge to bashfully look down at her feet. Instead, she looks at Christen and gestures vaguely. "You ready for this game?"

Christen hesitates and tugs her bottom lip in between her teeth, gnawing on it for a moment before nodding. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"You're gonna kill it, trust me," Tobin says and grins reassuringly, reaching out to lightly squeeze Christen's bicep. 

Christen nods, mostly to reassure herself, and forces a smile onto her face. "We've got this."

(They win and Christen has never been so relieved in her entire life.)

[28]  
"Babe, do you know where my sneakers are?" Tobin asks, sticking her head through the doorway of the bathroom. 

Christen's pauses in the middle of brushing her teeth and thinks for a second before spitting the toothpaste out into the sink. "Yeah, didn't you stick them under the couch last night?" She asks, wrinkling her eyebrows like she's thinking extra hard. Tobin brightens immediately. 

"You're so right, thank you," she says and then playfully blows a kiss at Christen with a wink for added effect. 

(Tobin can still hear Christen giggling to herself in the bathroom all the way from the living room when she finds her shoes.)

[29]  
"Can I kiss you?"

Christen looks up from her book, surprised, and blinks at Tobin, who's lounging on the other end of the couch watching a soccer game. "Yeah, of course you can."

"Cool." Tobin crawls across the couch quickly, barely giving Christen enough time to mark her page before she's cupping her cheeks and bringing their lips together. It catches Christen off guard, how much emotion Tobin is pouring into this kiss, but she hardly even hesitates before reciprocating with just as much fervor. 

Eventually, they pull apart, Tobin's cheeks flushed and both of them breathing heavily. Christen smiles and kisses Tobin again softly. "What was that for?" Christen asks after a moment, setting her book down as Tobin situates herself by straddling Christen's hips. 

"I just really love you." She pauses, blushing. "And you look really good in these glasses."

"Do I now?" Christen smirks, leaning in to kiss Tobin again. 

[30]  
"You're sick," Christen deadpans, glancing over her shoulder as she makes coffee to glare at Tobin, "get back in bed."

"I'm not sick," Tobin insists, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen and holding back a shiver. 

"Really?" Christen is clearly not convinced as she turns away from the coffee maker and strides over to where Tobin is standing. 

"What're you—"

She places a lingering kiss to Tobin's forehead, holding back her hair with one hand as she does so. Christen pulls away with a frown and sighs. "You're running a fever, Tobin."

"There's no way—"

"Tobin, I swear to god if you aren't in bed within the next minute I'll sleep in the guest bedroom for the next week," Christen threatens and Tobin's eyes go wide as she tries to suppress a cough. She scrambles to stand up straight and push off the wall she's resting against, immediately putting her hands up in surrender. 

"I'm going, I'm going."

"Thank you," Christen says triumphantly, watching Tobin turn around and hurry off towards their room, "I'll bring you some tea in a couple of minutes."

[31]  
"What time is your flight tomorrow?" Tobin asks over breakfast, sipping her coffee slowly. 

"Hmmm, what flight?" Christen shrugs, smirking as Tobin glances up. "I'm staying here forever."

Tobin rolls her eyes, kicking at Christen's ankle under the table. "Babe," she whines, "we'll be late if I don't know when you leave."

"Since when are you worried about being late, Ms. 'we get there when we get there'?" Christen asks teasingly and Tobin huffs out a laugh. 

"I'm a changed woman," Tobin says, shrugging, "so, when's your flight?"

"It boards at six."

"Six in the morning," Tobin deadpans, clearly not happy with their morning plans. When Christen nods, she immediately starts complaining, "but that's so early, we won't have any time together in the morning."

"Which means we should probably make good on the time we have with each other today," Christen says, raising her eyebrows suggestively and Tobin laughs in surprise. 

"You're a tease," Tobin says and Christen leans over to kiss her on the cheek, "but I'm holding you to that."

"I'm counting on it." 

[32]  
"Thanks for helping me unpack groceries," Christen says once everything is put away and Tobin nods easily, stepping into her space without any hesitation.

"Thanks for doing the shopping," Tobin says, bringing her hands to Christen's waist as she pulls her in closer. 

"No problem." Christen gladly welcomes their close proximity, taking the opportunity to press a quick kiss to Tobin's cheek. "You smell like paint," she says after a moment, laughing as she buries her nose into Tobin's neck. 

"Damnit," Tobin says, fully wrapping her arms around Christen's waist, "I even showered and everything."

Christen's smiling as she pulls away to look at Tobin, kissing her quickly just because. "What were you painting?" Christen asks after she ends the kiss, tracing her fingertips over Tobin's jawline as the muscles jump under her fingers. 

"It's a surprise," Tobin says, distracting Christen with another kiss but it doesn't deter her from asking more questions. 

"A good surprise?"

Tobin laughs, squeezing Christen tightly. "Is there a bad kind of surprise?" She cuts her off before she can actually respond. "Yes, it's the good kind."

"But you're not going to tell me what it is?" Christen continues to prod her for information and Tobin sighs despite the grin on her face. 

"I promise you'll find out soon enough."

(Christen cries — happy tears, she promises — when Tobin finally shows the painting to her on their anniversary.)

[33]  
"Ugh," Christen crinkles her nose as she pulls away from their kiss, "I hate spearmint gum."

"You're the one that bought it for me," Tobin points out with a crooked grin. Christen just wrinkles her nose even more and frowns. 

"That's because it's your favorite flavor," Christen says, clearly having some choice words to say about Tobin's preference of gum, "and what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't get you your favorite pack of gum?"

"The kind of girlfriend that doesn't like spearmint," Tobin says and smirks before leaning in for another kiss. 

"Uh-uh." Christen pulls back, glancing down at Tobin's lips and then back up at her. "Go drink some water first or something."

[34]  
Christen doesn't even know why she's watching the news. It's really nothing she needs to hear at 6 o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday — much less in the middle of an airport as she and Tobin wait to board their delayed flight. It's only serving to make her more upset and it's clear Tobin knows that with the way she tugs on Christen's arm to pull her attention away from the TV. 

"Relax babe," Tobin says gently, bringing a hand up to trace the underside of Christen's jaw lightly. She places a kiss there, just barely brushing her lips over the tense muscle where her jaw connects to her ear. 

"How am I suppose to relax," Christen starts quietly, her reply just a little terse, "when that imbecile is on the TV?"

Tobin sighs, her breath ghosting over Christen's cheek before she pulls away with a sad smile. "How about we go get a coffee instead of listening to FoxNews, yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess."

(Christen hates to admit it, but she feels a lot better after taking the short walk to the airport cafe, mostly because Tobin is by her side.)

[35]  
"Something smells good," Tobin says as she pads into the kitchen, hair still dripping water onto her shirt from the shower she just took. 

"Just heating up some leftovers," Christen says, glancing over her shoulder at Tobin before looking back at the microwave intently. 

"For me too?" Tobin asks hopefully and takes a couple of steps closer to peek into the microwave. 

"Of course." Christen laughs and turns around, back pressing against the stove as she gestures towards the cupboards. "Can you grab some plates?"

Tobin nods silently and quickly grabs two plates from the cabinet, handing them off to Christen with a soft, "here you go."

"Thank you." Christen beams at her and kisses her on the cheek quickly before turning around to open the microwave before the timer goes off. 

"Thanks for making dinner," Tobin says and shrugs even though Christen's back is to her as she pulls the food containers out of the microwave. Still, Christen laughs. 

"I didn't make dinner," she says lightly, "I microwaved the takeout leftovers."

"Which we'll be eating for dinner," Tobin points out, grabbing forks for both of them and handing one to Christen as she turns around. "So, thank you."

Tobin kisses Christen on the lips quickly before pressing one of the forks into her hand and grabbing one of the food containers. Christen grins. "Does this mean I can choose the movie tonight?"

(The answer is no, she does not get to choose the movie.)

[36]  
"I don't think you've ever managed to get out of bed without waking me up,” Christen croaks out as Tobin tries to slip out of bed in the morning. 

"Sorry," Tobin leans down to peck her on the lips quickly, "I needed to use the bathroom."

"Mmm, okay. Good morning," Christen says, earning another kiss from Tobin before she hurries off to the bathroom. "First up makes the coffee," Christen reminds Tobin's retreating figure and she shoots her a thumbs-up from over her shoulder. 

"You got it, babe."

[37]  
"My neck is killing me," Christen groans softly, rolling her head from side to side in an attempt to release some of the knots. 

"Maybe that's because you've had your head bent over that computer all day," Tobin says, placing the designs she'd been outlining down onto the coffee table and standing up from the couch. She walks softly over to the desk Christen is working at, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't you think you should take a break?"

"I'm almost done, I might as well just finish it now," Christen protests weakly, sighing in relief as Tobin starts kneading at the knots around the base of her neck. 

"Or," Tobin suggests, dragging out her words playfully, "I could run you a nice bath and you could take the rest of the night off."

Christen doesn't say anything at first, lolling her head back as Tobin continues to work at the knots in her upper back. "We could do that," she says and Tobin can hear the smirk in her voice even as she hums in appreciation at the way Tobin's fingers are digging into the tight muscles in her shoulder. 

"I said you, not we," Tobin teases, leaning down to give Christen a kiss when she tilts her head back as a silent request. 

"But I want you to join me," Christen murmurs and Tobin laughs, kissing her again quickly before straightening back up. "Please?"

"Whatever you want," Tobin pauses and then grins crookedly, "princess." Christen attempts to hit her on the arm but Tobin dodges it easily, scurrying off to start running a bath as Christen powers down the computer. 

(And maybe she doesn't log off immediately and maybe Tobin has to almost physically drag her out of the office chair but who's to say.)

[38]  
Tobin comes back to the apartment one day after hanging out with teammates — an offer Christen had politely declined in favor of sleeping in — to find Christen sitting at the dining room table with a mountain of puzzle pieces in front of her and her head bent in concentration as she sorts them. 

"What are you doing?" Tobin asks, her laugh breaking Christen's focus as she glances over at her. 

"A puzzle," Christen says, eyebrows raised like Tobin's just asked the stupidest questions she's ever heard. 

"I can see that." Tobin walks over to where Christen is sitting, pulling out a chair for herself as she goes back to sorting the pieces. "Where did you even get this from?"

"The nice old lady from across the hall, what's her name again?"

"Mrs. Jenkins?"

"Yes, Mrs. Jenkins," Christen says, nodding as she repeats the name to herself a couple of times to memorize it, "I passed her in the hall and she offered it to me."

"You took a puzzle," Tobin pauses, lips twitching up in amusement, "from Mrs. Jenkins?"

Christen hums in confirmation, still dividing the puzzle pieces into separate piles. "I mean, what else was I supposed to say?"

"No?" Tobin suggests and Christen pauses to whack her lightly on the stomach. 

"It'll be fun," Christen says, clearly implying she wants Tobin's help, "please?"

"Fine." Tobin huffs out a long-suffering sigh even though she can't help but grin when Christen claps her hands excitedly. "I'll go make some coffee since we're going to be here a while."

"You're the best," Christen says, leaning over to kiss Tobin quickly before she can get up from the table. 

"How many pieces is it, anyway?" Tobin asks over her shoulder as she heads into the kitchen and there's a slight pause before Christen answers. 

"3000."

(A week later when they finally finish it and realize there are three pieces missing, Tobin looks up at Christen and deadpans, "I'm puzzled.")

[39]  
"I shaved my legs," Christen sighs happily, crawling under the covers with her hair still dripping wet from the shower she just took. 

"Ooh, sexy." Tobin raises one eyebrow but without any real intent behind the gesture, instead laughing when Christen blushes. "Kidding."

Christen rolls her eyes, kicking Tobin under the covers. "I don't know why I even tell you things anymore."

"It's because you love me," Tobin drawls, rolling over and on top of Christen to place a long and obnoxiously loud kiss on her cheek. 

"Gross." Christen rubs at the wet spot now on her face in disgust and Tobin fakes offense, grinning playfully as she places an equally obnoxious kiss on Christen's other cheek. "Ugh, Tobin, seriously?"

"Chris," Tobin whines back in the same voice Christen just said her name in, laughing when she gets shoved off of her. "Sorry."

"No you're not," Christen says but she's laughing, keeping Tobin close with her arms wrapped around her waist despite the fact that she was the one that pushed her away. 

Tobin grins and places a quick kiss to Christen's cheek for effect. "I'm not," she confirms, grinning wickedly as Christen rolls her eyes with a sigh. 

(And if Christen secretly files this moment away to remember later, well, can you blame her?)

[40]  
"I can't breathe," Christen mumbles, her hand clammy in Tobin's as she shies away from the people crowding into the bar. Immediately, Tobin swivels her head around to find the nearest exit and then she tugs on Christen's hand, pulling her through the sea of people and past several teammates as she practically drags her out the door (not that Christen's complaining because she wants out of the bar as fast as possible). As soon as they're outside, the air cold against her overheating skin, Christen sucks in a gulp of fresh air and sighs before slumping against the nearby wall. 

"Not enjoying the party?" Tobin smiles softly as she copies Christen, leaning against the brick and bumping their hips together playfully. 

"You could say that." Christen lets her head fall back with a dull thump, reaching out for Tobin's hand as she takes a couple of deep breaths. "I don't understand why we have to celebrate every win."

Tobin laughs, tangling their fingers together and squeezing lightly. "We don't celebrate every win," Tobin argues, mostly to distract Christen from whatever anxiety she's feeling, "we just celebrate most of them." When all Christen does is laugh weakly, Tobin brings their hands up to her mouth and kisses the back of Christen's hand softly. "We can leave if you want?"

"What, no, I can't ask you to—"

"There's a frozen yogurt place around the block that should still be open," Tobin interrupts gently, a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

"I—" Christen trails off for a second and then nods shyly, "Yeah, that sounds nice."

[41]  
"This was a really good idea," Tobin says through a mouthful of froyo and Christen laughs, bumping their hips together as they slowly walk back to the hotel. 

"I agree," Christen says and emphasizes her point by taking a giant bite out of her dessert. "Best idea you've ever had."

Tobin bumps into Christen again, the grin on her face talking all of the malice out of her words. "I don't see you coming up with any good ideas."

Christen laughs again and then stops abruptly, tugging on Tobin's sleeve to pull her closer. Her eyes glance around the empty street quickly just in case, immediately clueing Tobin in to why they stopped, and then they're kissing. Tobin can taste Christen's cherry frozen yogurt on her tongue and she almost wants to pull away from it — what sane person likes cherry flavored things — but then she gets distracted by the way Christen's hand is tugging at her hair and suddenly the taste doesn't bother her nearly as much. 

Christen's blushing furiously when they pull away and she ducks her head before looking at Tobin through her eyelashes. "Thank you," she says quietly, "for taking me to get froyo instead of going back into the bar."

"It's no big deal." Tobin shrugs easily, slinging an arm around Christen's shoulder and resigning herself to let the rest of her bowl melt as they walk close together. "I'll go with you anywhere, even if that means ditching our teammates."

(Christen doesn't respond — opting to lean into Tobin appreciatively instead — but it's the only thing she can think about for the rest of the night, a warm feeling settling across her chest when she pictures the look in Tobin's eyes.)

[42]  
"I love this shirt on you." Tobin comes up behind Christen as she's waiting for her bagel to pop out of the toaster, dropping a kiss onto Christen's shoulder before snaking her arms around her waist. 

"Thank you." Christen leans back into the embrace and sighs happily. "Maybe that's because it's one of yours."

"That might be it," Tobin says, pressing her smile into the side of Christen's neck as she nuzzles her nose against the soft skin there. "Do you want me to start on the coffee?"

Christen nods, hands coming up to hold onto Tobin's. "In a second. I want to stay like this for a little while longer."

"Okay," Tobin says and squeezes Christen closer, gently swaying them as they stand there. 

(They end up jumping apart when Christen's — admittedly forgotten — bagel pops out of the toaster half burnt, scaring them both and breaking the peaceful quiet.)

[43]  
"What do you call a fake noodle?" Tobin asks as Christen nibbles on a piece of pasta she just pulled out of the pot to see if it’s cooked fully or not. 

Christen shoots her a playful glare, noodle still halfway in her mouth. "Don't even say—"

"An impasta," Tobin interrupts with a wide grin and Christen sighs. 

"That was terrible," Christen says as she moves across the kitchen to throw the undercooked noodle in the trash. 

Tobin catches her by the waist as she walks by to go back to the stove, pulling her in for a quick peck on the lips. "It wasn't that bad." She grins at the way Christen rolls her eyes. "I actually thought it was pretty good."

"Well, it wasn't," Christen deadpans but softens her tone with a quick kiss to Tobin's cheek. "Now get back to chopping up the salad."

Tobin winks and Christen knows before she even says anything that it's going to make her want to roll her eyes again. "Yes ma'am."

(Tobin makes 3 more — equally as bad — puns before the pasta is finished cooking.)

[44]  
"Coffee's already made," Christen says, leaning against the kitchen counter and smiling softly at Tobin as she wanders in while still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

"Thanks, babe." Tobin walks over to her first, taking the mug that Christen's holding out of her hand and placing it on the counter so that she can kiss her properly without being worried about shattering another cup on the ground. The kiss ends up being cut short though as Tobin pulls away in disgust, licking her lips unconsciously. "You taste like black coffee."

"There's a little bit of creamer in it," Christen defends against Tobin's accusatory tone, picking her cup up again and showing the contents of it to her. 

"Barely," Tobin mumbles, eyeing the cup with poorly hidden apprehension as Christen takes a sip of her drink, "you could at least put some sugar in it."

"I like it like this, you jerk." There's no real bite behind her words as she kisses Tobin's scrunched up nose and runs her hands down her arm slowly. "Good morning, by the way."

"Good morning," Tobin says, smiling as Christen laces their fingers together and holds their hands between them. 

"I would kiss you again but clearly you wouldn't appreciate that," Christen says, a wide grin on her face as Tobin scoffs and crinkles her nose for the second time that morning. 

"Thanks for being so considerate," Tobin responds, sarcasm dripping from her words as she drops Christen's hand and starts to move away to pour herself a cup. 

"Love you, babe," Christen says, drawing the words out cheerfully and laughing as Tobin sighs dramatically. 

"I love you too," Tobin says begrudgingly despite the grin already finding its way onto her face, "even though you drink your coffee black."

[45]  
"Want a hug?" Christen asks, smirking as sweat drips down her forehead from the run she just went on. She approaches Tobin with her arms wide open and she crinkles her nose in response. 

"You smell like you haven't showered in a week," Tobin says, shoving Christen away with a light hand on her sternum and crinkling her nose even more when her palm comes back wet. "Get in the shower before I have to light a candle."

"You got it, babe," Christen says but quickly dodges past the hand Tobin has outstretched in front of her to keep some semblance of distance between them and kisses her on the cheek quickly. 

"Ugh, gross," Tobin rubs at her cheek dramatically, "I'm breaking up with you."

Christen laughs, backing away with her hands raised in surrender. "You wouldn't dare but nice try."

"Just go shower."

[46]  
"It wasn't you're fault that we lost," Christen says softly as they both crawl into bed, Tobin with a small crease between her eyebrows that hasn't disappeared since the whistle blew. 

"I know." She sighs and crawls under the covers, facing away from Christen on her side. Christen understands the silent request easily and follows suit, quickly turning off the bedside lamp before spooning her from behind. 

"You couldn't have done anything," Christen tries again, trailing her fingers lightly over Tobin's ribs. 

"I know." Tobin sighs again, breathing in shakily and Christen drops a quick kiss to her shoulder. 

"Tobs—"

"Chris," Tobin cuts her off quickly, "can we talk about it in the morning? I'm tired."

"Yeah, okay." Christen runs her fingers through Tobin's hair distractedly, moving it off of her face slowly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Neither of them mentions the way Tobin's voice cracks and Christen just continues to card her fingers through her hair. 

(And if Tobin's eyes are bloodshot in the morning, well, Christen doesn't mention it.)

[47]  
"If you fold the laundry, I'll do the dishes," Tobin offers as they clear the table after dinner and Christen immediately perks up — both of them are very aware of how much she hates to wash dishes.

"Really?" Christen asks excitedly, a smile finding its way onto her face before Tobin can even nod. 

"For sure," Tobin says, which just about makes Christen squeal in excitement as she sets the plates down next to the sink. 

"I love you." Christen can't wipe the grin off of her face even as she leans and kisses Tobin quickly, rocking back on her heels as she beams at her. 

"I love you too." Tobin laughs when Christen hurries off before she can change her mind and calls after her, "You're way too excited about folding laundry, you know that right?" 

(Christen doesn't stop grinning for the rest of the night and suddenly spending half an hour elbow-deep in soapy water becomes totally worth it to Tobin.)

[48]  
Tobin drags Christen out of bed earlier than either of them are used to during the rare time they get to spend in Portland with a whine of, "You promised!"

"I didn't think that when I told you I'd come surfing it would be at," Christen heaves a sigh and rolls over to check the clock, "4 o'clock in the morning." 

"You can sleep in the car, it's an hour and a half drive," Tobin says, grinning so widely that Christen really can't say no. 

"You know I can't fall asleep in cars," Christen grumbles but throws the covers off of herself anyway.

"Yes! Thank you." Tobin presses an excited kiss to Christen's lips before scrambling off the bed. "Coffee's ready whenever you are and the car's already packed."

"How come you're a morning person when it benefits you but I can't manage to drag you out of bed before 10 if I have something planned?" It's a joke and Tobin grins, knowing Christen's dry sense of humor comes out more when she's tired. 

"I'll make sure your coffee is the way you like it." Tobin rocks back on her heels excitedly and grins even wider before leaving Christen to get ready.

[49]  
"That goal you scored tonight was really good," Tobin says, twirling her fingers around a strand of Christen's hair slowly as they lay in bed. 

"Thanks," Christen mumbles, clearly exhausted from the rough game, "couldn't have done it without the assist."

"Teamwork makes the dream work." Tobin grins, raising her hand up for a fist-bump that Christen reciprocates with a soft roll of her eyes. 

"Maybe next time try not to get tackled as soon as the ball leaves your feet," Christen teases, yawning midway through her sentence and blinking up at Tobin tiredly. 

"I don't think I really had a choice that time," Tobin laughs and they both fall silent for second before she adds, "I love you, you know."

"I know." Christen props herself up on her elbow to kiss Tobin, being surprisingly insistent considering how tired she's been all night. "I love you too."

"Good because this would be awkward if you didn't," Tobin says and leans in to kiss Christen again but she's laughing so hard that it makes it impossible. 

"I take it back," Christen says in between giggles, "I hate you."

[50]  
"You're so cute," Christen says and Tobin freezes, her hand halfway to her mouth and holding a piece of popcorn. They're both sprawled out on the couch watching some random crime show on TV, Tobin with her legs casually resting in Christen's lap. 

"Thank you," Tobin says slowly, clearly surprised by the compliment but pleased, and then she adds, "so are you."

Christen can't help but laugh, leaning over to kiss Tobin quickly. "Thanks but I meant like right now," Christen gestures vaguely to the bowl in her lap, "you look really excited and happy with your popcorn and it's cute."

"Oh, well, you make me happy." Tobin blushes at how sappy they both sound, ducking her head when Christen beams at her. 

"Are you sure it's not just the popcorn?" She teases as Tobin shoves another handful into her mouth. 

"I'm sure," Tobin says, a dopey smile on her face before she sobers. "You really do make me happy, you know that right?"

Christen softens at how serious she is, mindlessly tracing patterns on Tobin's calf as she nods. "I know babe. You make me really happy too."

"Good," Tobin says before leaning in and kissing her soundly, their movie playing forgotten in the background.

**Author's Note:**

> The fact that y’all are still reading these is stunning to me but also very much appreciated — especially considering they’ve been getting progressively worse lmao — so thank you!!! Your comments are always so nice and are lowkey the only thing that gives me energy to actually get shit (i.e. my actual job/school lol) done so please feel free to leave a comment because I promise they always make my day🥺🥺 Thanks for reading folks!


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